Not on Her Watch

by Nicole Zoltack

Worry, fear, and anger were the last feelings Nathaniel experienced before he could fight off the tranquilizer no longer.

  Chapter 32

  Shauna West was more eager than nervous, more excited than worried. The adrenaline rush before going in was like no other. It was a high that almost helped to wipe away the sorrow and grief from her lowest low ever. Almost.

  "Venom's Vengeance is supposedly just ahead of us, but there are no signs of a way underground," the Captain said.

  She winced, hating that he was using that terrible, war-inspired nickname for Nathaniel. He'd promised they would try to extract him if he was not trying to kill them. Yet Nathaniel had been with the Hidden Serpents for hours. What if they suspected him? What if they reconditioned him, reprogrammed him? What if they had captured him?

  They couldn't have killed him. He took a bullet to the chest! But he had been willing to try to shoot his brains. No one could survive that, right? It's difficult to believe that the Hidden Serpents wouldn't have a means to put down their creation should it bite the hand that fed it.

  Shauna's sole objective this operation was to cover their escape with bombs, lots and lots of bombs. Orders had come from Washington. If they could not save the Marines, they were to level the base. If by chance the nukes were here, the bombs would not set off them off. If anything, the explosions could ensure they were underground forever, trapped, and potentially unusable. A few strong blows to the explosives or any of the electronic components would render it dead in the water… or in the sand. Nukes only launched if everything was perfect, and those blows could prevent the Uranium or Plutonium from being perfectly compressed. Regular explosives would go boom themselves if hit by another explosion. Nuclear weapons weren't regular in any sense of the word. Detonating fissure fissile material was a complicated process. If any part of that process was tampered with, no boom. The warhead wouldn't detoNathaniel.

  Essentially, Lieutenant Colonel Padilla was acting as their Warrant Officer. He, all of his Marines, Dawson, Brook, Felipe, and Coral comprised one team. Captain Jones, Shauna, Lela, Hunter, Rozene, and Mack were the second. Yes, they had opted to split up after all. The entire time, Coral and Mack would be in constant communication. Shauna would light up her bombs the moment they were all clear. She had set several around the perimeter as it was. Once Mack located the coordinates, he realized Nathaniel was on the move. They had an idea of how large the base was, although it could stretch far wider and maybe even deeper than they realized. To some extent, they were still blind.

  Washington had sanctioned a cloaked flyover, but their sonar detected nothing beyond below the surface of the island, just like before. They had never suspected the Hidden Serpents to would hide underground.

  We should've. Serpents are known devious and hostile creatures. Why should those who adopt that moniker be any different?

  For thirty minutes now, they had been hiding behind the small hills that surrounded the base. They were waiting, watching, hoping someone would leave. There must be a means in and out of the base from the surface somewhere. It was too well-camouflaged to detect.

  Just when Shauna was about to ask for permission to bomb their way in, a portion of a boulder a fair distance way shifted. A figure emerged. A Hidden Serpent by garb and the telltale arrogant posture. Nineteen more trailed behind the first, and they marched away. They were prattling on loudly about how they knew Venom's Vengeance was only a baby snake. Supposedly, they would be the ones to earn that title one day.

  She could feel blood drain from her face. Her fingers gripped her gun that much tighter. Channeling her worry into the coolheadedness of authority, she gave herself over to her military training. She would be a soldier throughout this. She would complete her mission. She would bring home those Marines.

  Nathaniel included.

  Captain Jones clasped her shoulder. She nodded to show him she was as good as could be.

  The Captain waved over Padilla. He and the rest of the Alpha Team, careful to move without being detected, all crossed over to Shauna's hill.

  "Alpha Team will head in first," the Captain told Padilla. "Unless we experience resistance, follow in a half hour."

  "Understood."

  "Won't they be guarding the door?" Hunter asks.

  Lela smiled and petted her rifle. "We'll be ready and waiting for that."

  Shauna sighed. "Stop being so bloodthirsty. I'll toss in a smoke bomb that works instantly and clears out in ten seconds. It'll prevent any of them from sounding the alarm, and we can go in undetected. I already gave Beta Team some for them to use."

  "Won't they realize something is wrong when they come to?" Rozene asked. "Maybe we should kill them to be safe."

  Shauna shook her head. "To them, it'll be as if only seconds had passed. Hopefully, they will think an earthquake will happen. Before you ask about the canister, I'll grab it so there's no trace of us having been there."

  "Stop your yapping," the Captain said. "West, do your thing."

  Padilla slipped back to pass on the news to his team. Shauna hesitated, nodded to everyone, and climbed the hill on all fours. Yes, if anyone was watching, she'd be visible. They had already checked the place for snipers even though there weren't any buildings or rooftops nearby for them to perch. Considering they had the hills, there was truly no place for a sniper to be.

  Slithering as if a snake herself, she made it to the rock. The door within it had been shut, but the moment she touched it, it clicked. The door opened an inch, and she eased it another before letting her bomb drop. No coughs, no grunts, just a few soft thuds.

  Five… six… seven… eight… nine… ten!

  She waved the others over. Captain Jones took the lead, whereas Shauna entered last. Her canister had ended up beneath a man's head as if a pillow. Gently, she eased the canister free and laid his head back down.

  Mack was up front with the Captain. For some time, Nathaniel had been in one location without moving. Either he was asleep, or someone had been checking him over. Lacking a better target, they headed there now. Shauna didn't know if Nathaniel was still there or somewhere else, and she wasn't going to ask. Sometimes, it was better not to know things.

  So far, beyond those guarding the door, they hadn't seen another Hidden Serpent. How many were stationed here? Where were they?

  Please don't tell me that they sent the bulk of them away because they're going to launch an attack in other countries.

  Although having most of the soldiers gone from this base would greatly increase their odds of success.

  They turned onto another hallway and took a staircase. Just how deep did this base go? Whenever Shauna found a loose stone, she would add a small bomb there. She'd run out soon, but they needed some on the inside if they were going to ensure this place became unusable.

  On the next level, they found more Hidden Serpents. Keeping the six of them hidden was no longer possible. They had no choice but to stealth kill as they progressed.

  The longer this went on, the more eager and worried Shauna grew. This isn't a movie. This is real life. People die. Justice doesn't always prevail. But, Alejandro, if you're watching over us, know that the good guys are going to give their all to win. We'll find a way.

  Chapter 33

  Nathaniel was locked up in a cage. He remembered now that he'd been in one just like this before. He'd wanted to die then, but he didn't know. He had all the fight in the world in him. So much anger. So much hatred. So much despair.

  When he'd been brought here, the Colonel and the doctor had followed the guards, arguing all the while.

  "I should kill him."

  "No! Give him to me. I can reprogram him. Wipe away his memories again and plant new ones. Or, even better. I can help him unlock every memory and alter them. His mind will not be able to find a way to heal itself from that! Whoever he loves, he will believe has betrayed him. Whatever his personal ideals are, I will adjust to align with ours. On some level, every soldier does wish for peace, so that will not be to
o hard. Of course, some have evolved enough to know and appreciate that their talents are only necessary during wartime."

  "You talk too much. I should make you both eat bullets."

  "Now, now," the doctor had admonished, "would he like that?"

  The Colonel had said nothing, but he and the guards beat Nathaniel. Or, rather, they tried to torture him. But torture was all about pain and suffering, and Nathaniel felt no pain. As for suffering, he already felt enough of that. They could not possibly add to it.

  For an hour now, he had been left alone. They had restrained him, but Nathaniel broke free. Five guards were watching him, including the two tongueless ones. Had they been brainwashed too? How could two soldiers who had been tortured like that break so completely that they would serve their master so completely?

  But, then, Nathaniel had been tortured, rendered broken, and brainwashed himself. Who was he to judge others?

  He turned his back to the guards and began to examine the room. It was just as dark as it had been previously, but Nathaniel's night vision must have been enhanced. Despite the complete lack of light, he could see. Even he had to admit that seeing the whites of the guards' eyes against the various dark shades of black was unnerving.

  His fingers traced along the walls. Bits of pebbles trickled down, and an idea formed. He was fast, but was he fast enough? He could gather five rocks. He could knock out or even kill two of them in seconds. Was he swift enough to kill the other three before one of them could sound an alarm? Even if he left the tongueless ones for last, he still ran the risk of the third being able to.

  Well, then, he would just have to hope this wasn't the bottommost layer of the underground network.

  Nathaniel marched around the base, doing his best to appear as if he was pacing. Instead, he was attempting to crack through the floor without drawing unwanted attention to himself. Around and around. March, march, march. The ground began to cave slightly, but he did not alter his path so that the others would remain ignorant to his actions.

  A huge groan sounded from the rocks as they tumbled. Nathaniel fell straight down through the hole he'd created. He landed in the sleeping quarters of Solimar, the Hidden Serpent Vervin considered to be a rat.

  Nathaniel hesitated as Solimar stirred. He blinked and sat up. Immediately, he held up his hands. "Don’t kill me! I'm not… I'm not a… I can prove it."

  Solimar warily climbed out of bed and crabwalked around Nathaniel so that he was facing him. Continuing to make eye contact, Solimar squatted down, removed a loose stone, and removed a small wooden box. Inside were some vials.

  "Your blood. Before and after… All my life, I wanted to make a difference," Solimar said. "At first, I bought into their beliefs, but I was wrong. I've been trying… I plant false evidence for others to find so I can remain here. I was helping Taroh Darr. I… I have no other proof… Please. I heard that you regained your memories, that you're a Marine again. Please. Don’t kill me."

  "Can you help me out of here?"

  Solimar hesitated. "You wish for me to blow my cover?"

  Nathaniel considered this.

  "Please. I have a family. They escaped on a boat. I do wish to go to them one day but not yet. Before… Before I saw the light that their coming dawn is no dawn at all, I committed many terrible sins. I have not atoned for them all. Leave me here to continue my penance. Take the blood samples. Perhaps they can be of some help."

  Solimar punched himself several times in the face until his one eye was swollen and blood trickled down his face.

  "They will not suspect me of helping you escape if they see me like this."

  Surprising them both, Nathaniel hugged the man. "Stay safe."

  "You as well."

  Solimar collapsed in a heap, and Nathaniel burst out of there just as he heard the cell to his room being opened. The guards would not be far behind. Honestly, he was surprised that an alarm had not gone off within the base. He heard no siren, saw no flashing lights.

  A good thing. A very good thing.

  Had the Green Berets made a move yet? Nathaniel had no idea, and without an alarm, he had no way of knowing.

  A not so good thing.

  Nathaniel wasn't about to leave. He would never leave a man behind. Solimar was right. He was a Marine again.

  He rushed back to the level where the experiments were held. Down the hall fighting had broken in.

  The Green Berets had arrived.

  And there was Shauna.

  Despite the pandemonium and chaos, their gazes locked. For that brief moment, Nathaniel understood Solimar completely. He wanted to do penance to help level out the score of darkness he'd created. He wanted to be worthy of loving her and being loved in return again.

  A soldier fired at Nathaniel, and he entered the fight.

  Chapter 34

  Shauna's shock at seeing Nathaniel couldn't compare to watching a Hidden Serpent turn and fire at him. He killed the man, and now more flooded the hallway, so many that she could not see him.

  No! She lost him once. She wasn't going to lose him again.

  She fought her way to the Captain.

  "Nathaniel is fighting them. He's one our side!"

  "A lot of good that does," he said as he fired off and killed three more. "How many are there?"

  "The Marines must be nearby," Shauna said excitedly. "Why else would there be so many here?"

  "They could be guarding the nukes," Lela said. "Got another bomb? Toss it in that room they're leaving from."

  "Maybe it's another staircase," Hunter suggested. "Way too many for them to have all been held up in one room."

  "I'm not bombing a room without being able to see inside it first," Shauna protested.

  "Then move your ass into position where you can see in," Captain Jones barked. "Cover her!"

  Shauna fired again and again, moving forward. So many bodies had been dropped already that she had to step on them. She couldn’t even step over them. Her stomach churned with revulsion. So much fighting. So much death. And they claim they want peace. I'll give them a piece instead. A piece of my bullets and bombs.

  Before she could get to the door, an explosion went off and then another. As if that was a warning, all of the Hidden Serpents fell back. They were retreating, but why?

  She rushed over to the door. A staircase. Hunter had been right.

  Nathaniel rushed over.

  "What is going on?" Captain Jones asked.

  "I have no idea," Shauna said.

  "I wasn't asking you."

  "I don't know." Nathaniel went down the hallway, busting doors open. "The Marines had been here. Spread out and find them!"

  Shauna didn't hesitate to obey, but the rest of the Alpha Team did.

  "You heard him," Jones grumbled. "Mack, where's Beta Team?"

  Every room Shauna checked was empty. Her fear and anger fought for supremacy.

  Another bomb went off. The ground shook.

  "We need to leave," Mack said. "Beta Team had to fall back. They're retreating too. Shauna wasn't the only one to have bombs here. They're demolishing it. If we don't leave right now, Padilla says we won't be able to."

  "But the Marines," Nathaniel said. "They were here—there's Sullivan!"

  He ran into the room and left with Sullivan in his arms. His brains were exposed, his chest cavity open. An autopsy? Shauna's stomach twisted at the sight. Disgust and hatred for the Hidden Serpents fueled her fire.

  More explosions went off, three right after each other. The stone ceiling was caving in.

  Nathaniel tossed the body to her and held up the ceiling. "Go," he cried.

  "What about you?" she asked, struggling with the weight. Hunter and Mack helped her.

  "Go!" Nathaniel said. "Please."

  The two men took the body from her, and Lela physically dragged Shauna away. The staircase the Hidden Serpents had used had collapsed already, and they couldn't use the one they'd taken to reach this level. A few more bombs exploded, and a wall fell d
own. Through it, they spied another staircase.

  "Let's go," the Captain said grimly. "Hustle!"

  He ushered everyone ahead of me. Lela released Shauna to go ahead, but Shauna hesitated.

  "Go now," Captain Jones said. "Do not disobey a direct order."

  Shauna nodded and took a step toward the stairs.

  A hand gripped her arms. The Captain seized her by the elbow and propelled her ahead of him. On the stairs, he bypassed her. Another explosion had her nearly falling.

  Someone caught her from behind.

  Nathaniel.

  Dirty, covered in stone, dust, and blood, Nathaniel helped her up. "Race you," he said.

  And they raced each other.

  Nathaniel was far too quickly. He took the lead, and the Captain conceded that they followed him. Mack had announced that Beta Team escaped unscathed other than a few injured parties.

  Moving far too quickly, Nathaniel led them down hallways and up stairs. At one junction, the staircase had been blocked off, so he jumped and punched a large enough hole in the ceiling. He easily assisted them climbing through and then jumped up to get himself there.

  "Top level," he said. "I only know one way in and out."

  They followed him there. Unsurprisingly, it was caved in. Her bombs were low, and they might cause more of a cave in, but it was their only shot.

  Everyone fell back, and her bombs went off. They exploded the huge pieces of rocks into pebbles, but the way wasn't cleared yet.

  Working like a madman, Nathaniel dug and tunneled a hole through. An agonizing twenty minutes later, they emerged, coughing and squinting against the sun.

  Another blast went off, this one causing a tremor that shook the ground for five straight minutes. At its height, the base collapsed onto itself.

  Shauna's hand went to her heart. Either the Marines had been moved to another location, or else they had just perished beneath a ton of stone. Either the nukes had been relocated or lost, but even if they had been destroyed, the Hidden Serpents would be able to make more. The base had been completely demolished, but the Hidden Serpents had satellites in countless nations. The fight here on Grotto's Bay was over, but this might just have been the blast to ensure it went worldwide.